“Into the Woods”

Directed by Rob Marshall

(Full disclosure: I did the second National Tour of this show back in ’90-91 as the Narrator/Mysterious Man – so forget about any semblance of objectivity)
I fucking LOVED this adaptation. The show is as great as I remember, the performances are all spot on (with the glaring, exception of Johnny Depp – who’s performance is totally devoid of the humanity written in to every drop of every character). Streep, Blunt and Corden are especially noteworthy. Alas, my character’s song has been dropped from the production – ah well. The main criticisms of professional reviewers seems to center around disappointment that Marshall never really utilizes the vastness of the geography afforded him via cinema, and, instead, keeps the entire production feeling like it exists on a stage. Bah humbug! Go see it. I’ve been singing the damn music non-stop since.